Numerical solution of boundary value problems for the radiation transfer equation in an optical range

The paper deals with the process of transferring the radiation in an absorbing and scattering multilayer optical system. This process is described by a transfer equation. The system is assumed to consist of materials with different optical properties. The Fresnel reflection and refraction laws are taken into account by matching conditions on the interfaces of materials. A method for numerical solution of the direct boundary problem for the transfer equation is proposed. The inverse problem of determining an unknown index of refraction is considered in the case of known magnitudes of the light flux leaving the medium. Some results of numerical experiments are discussed. The work was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (04-01-00126, 05- 07-90055)